Page 155 of Choosing You

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

She follows us down the hall to my room. “Do you need help with anything? I was just going back over to Sean’s, but I can call and tell him I’m staying here.”

“No. Go ahead. I can handle it.”

“Okay, but if you’re too freaked out to stay in your room tonight, you could stay with me. We could get one of those inflatable mattresses.”

“I’ll let you know. Thanks, Harper.”

She heads back to her room.

“She’s right,” Garret says. “You shouldn’t stay overnight in this room. At least not for a few days. Just stay with me.”

I take him up on his offer. We spend the afternoon cleaning up my room, then Harper stops by again later and I go hang out in her room while Garret goes to the pool. I tell her all about the fundraising event, which seems like old news with everything that’s happened since then. I also tell her how Garret’s dad did a 180 and insisted I stay at his house for Thanksgiving. Harper seems relieved. She really didn’t want me spending Thanksgiving alone in the dorms.

The next week goes by without a single late night call. I begin to get hopeful that the guy is truly gone and will never bother me again. I talk to Frank on Monday and he’s doing well. Ryan is, too. Maybe it’s too soon, but I tell myself that whatever was going on with my mom’s letter is over.

With all that finally behind me, I’m getting really excited about Thanksgiving. We have classes Monday and Tuesday but people start packing up and leaving to go home Monday afternoon. Harper heads out Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, nearly everyone has left.

On Wednesday, I pack up some clothes and Garret and I head to his house. His family, including his grandparents, left for the Cayman Islands early this morning. We’ll have the whole place to ourselves. The cook will be there but he lives in a separate smaller house next to the main house.

When we arrive, we take our stuff upstairs. I didn’t count them but there must be at least eight bedrooms up here and Garret says there are more guest rooms downstairs.

“So this is where he wants you to stay.” Garret pokes his head in a beige and white room with a four poster bed that’s piled with fancy pillows. The room is very large and has its own bathroom.

I start to walk inside but Garret keeps hold of my hand. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re really staying.”

We walk to the very end of the hall. He opens the door to a room that looks much different than the guest room. It has deep blue walls and even a blue ceiling. Band posters hang on some of the walls and there’s a giant flat screen TV suspended on the wall across from the king-size bed.

“This ismyroom, if you haven’t guessed that already.”

“I can’t believe Katherine let you decorate your room like this.”

“She didn’t get a say in it. When we moved here, my dad said I could do what I wanted with it. Katherine was pissed, but what did she really have to complain about? We have like 16 bedrooms. She can decorate those however she wants.”

“Are you sure I can stay in here? Maybe I should stay in that other room, at least for a night or two.”

“Why? Don’t you want to be with me?”

“Yeah, but your dad was nice enough to let me stay and I feel like I should use that room for at least one night. Besides we sleep in the same room all the time.”

He sprawls out on the bed. “But this is a king-size bed. So much better than a twin. We can actually move in this one without falling off.”

“Still. I think I should stay over there tonight. I’m gonna go drop my stuff off.”

He follows me back down the hall. “Jade, wait.” He stops and opens the door to another room. “This is Lilly’s room. Don’t tell her I showed you it. She wants to show you herself. She keeps asking when you’ll be over again.”

“She does?” I go inside the all-pink room. It has a canopy bed and a sitting area with a tiny white table and chairs. A teapot and cups are set up on the table and stuffed animals sit in the chairs.

“If you come in her room, she’ll make you go to her tea party,” Garret says. “All her guests have to sit down for tea.”

“Have you been to one of these tea parties?”

“Only like a million times. I can’t fit in those chairs. I have to sit on the floor.”

“How did she even get you to do that? I mean, come on Garret. You’re not really the tea party type.”

“She’s my little sister. And she’s adorable. I can’t say no to her.” He leans down and kisses me. “Kind of like I can’t say no to someone else.”

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